She Could Be
by JD11
Summary: 8th in 'Incompatible' series. She could be pregnant. Or she could not be pregnant. She could be catching something. Paruvian measles or just a normal, Human cold. Could be nothing, could be my imagination. Or she could be pregnant.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: _This one really took a lot of thought before I had any idea what I was going to write. Thanks to SonicSparkle for all the Beta-ing and who chucked out the originally draft! She's been a huge help with all of these short stories. Enjoy!

_Time Frame: _This one takes place throughout 'Army of Ghosts' and 'Doomsday'. Eighth in the 'Incompatible' series.

_Summary_: She could be pregnant. Or she could not be pregnant. She could be catching something. Paruvian measles or just a normal, Human cold. Could be nothing, could be my imagination. Or she could be pregnant.

/-/-

**She Could Be…**

She could be pregnant.

Or she could not be pregnant. She could be catching something. Paruvian measles or just a normal, Human cold. Could be nothing, could be my imagination.

Or she could be pregnant. It's not like it's an impossibility. After our conversation about children weeks ago, we have been sort of trying. Well not really trying to have kids. Haven't exactly gone out of our way to have any. I mean we've tried… we've gone through the motions necessary to having children. I guess.

She might not be pregnant.

"You coming?"

"Hmm? Yeah."

She's out the door with her bag full of laundry- thankfully I took the liberty of making it bigger on the inside or I'd be hauling another three bags with us- before I really snap out of my thoughts and follow her.

She's smiling, happy to be home and happy to find ourselves here on a nice, sunny day. She takes my hand and I give it a squeeze in return, before we head off through the park and towards her mum's flat.

"We hit it off pretty well," she says, the door swinging open as she does. "Kaj and me."

"Yeah, I think she wants to see you again."

Rassilon, I hate these stairs. Rose seems just fine bounding up them with that heavy pack on. She wouldn't let me take it.

Do you think? No…

But she could be. She's looked, I don't know, off? A little greener, a little tireder- tireder? Not sure that's a word…

She's lost her appetite for chips. That should be the real clue. Whether it points to pregnancy or illness, not so sure about that. Probably illness.

But Human pregnancy strikes me more as an illness at first than anything else. All that morning sickness and hormonal shifts and so forth. Ehm, not fun.

"Mum, it's us. We're back!"

Here it comes.

"Oh, I don't know why you bother with that phone, you never use it!"

Okay, time to get out of this mess. Oow- what's that-

"Oh no you don't. Come 'ere."

What is she doing? Ew, ew, ew… Rose, help! Right, she can't hear me- because her mum is kissing me!

Oh, oh, twice! Two times. She kissed me twice. I could be infected with something. Eh, gross. I need to get away from her.

"I've got loads of washing for ya-"

Hmm… an historical account of Waterloo. Must be Howard's. Wonder if they're still even together. Hasn't mentioned him recently.

"What's it called?"

What's what? Oh. "Bazulium."

She's so cute when she gets to be the expert with her mum. So excited and glowing and all that. Too bad Jackie doesn't always care. Like now-

"Guess who's coming to visit." Oh great, a Jackie friend. "He'll be here at ten past." Eh, 'him'. Guess her and Howard are over. "Who d'you think it is?"

I'd really rather not know, frankly.

"It's your grandad." Grandad? Rose never talks about him. "Grandad Prentice. He's on his way! Any minute." Hmm, could be interesting. "Right, cup of tea."

Wait. Something's off. Smells off.

Not coming from the kitchen, so it's not something Jackie caused. No new candles or anything like that. No, no it's nothing like that. It's… Human, definitely Human. Hormones. Be easier just to lick Rose… probably shouldn't do that here though-

"She's gone mad."

"Tell me something new."

Hormones! That's it! It's… not quite right. What is that? Not estrogen… definitely not insulin. More like- what's that called?- human chorionic gonadotropin! That's right, hCG. A lot of it, really-

Wait…

"Grandad Prentice is her dad." Wait, wait, wait… But that means-

No, it doesn't mean for sure. It means maybe. Maybe, she might possibly be pregnant, perhaps.

"But he died like ten years ago." Wait, what? But-

"Oh my god, she's lost it."

/-

Oh, I just love this! Running about, making ghost busting machines out of spare bits, laughing with the Doctor, and solving a mystery. All in a good day's work.

These are the kind of adventures that make me want to stay with him forever. That make me want to have someone to share this with. These are the things I want kids for. A miniature Doctor, a miniature me, a miniature mixture- sounds like a Doctor phrase- chasing after the Doctor, buzzing with questions and ideas, radiating excitement at learning something new.

Kay, focus.

"If that line goes into the red, press that button there. If it doesn't stop, setting 15B. Hold it against the port, eight seconds and stop."

"15B." How does he remember this stuff? "Eight seconds."

"If it goes into the blue, active the deep scan on the left."

Wait, I know this one. "Which is that one?"

"Eh, close."

Close, my arse. "That one?"

"Now you've just killed us."

Right! Kay, he just showed me this. "Eh, that one?"

"Yep! Now what have we got? Two minutes to go?"

Two minutes…

I wonder… No, no I can't be.

Well, I could be, but I'm not. At least I don't think I am.

Actually, I haven't been feeling well the past few mornings. Come to think of it, it's got to be past my time of the month. Weeks past, actually. One thing that is made nearly impossible by time travel is judging that.

Oh my god, what if I am? What if I'm pregnant? What will the Doctor think?

He's okay with it, right? Just like we talked about before. It wouldn't be that bad of a thing.

I hope he or she is just like the Doctor. He, yes, a boy I think, a miniature Doctor. He should inherit that manic spark of interest and curiosity whenever something new passes his way. And that wonderful glowing exhilaration after solving something.

And his penchant for rambling, should inherit that as well. And his eyes. Oh and his nose! Lots of things really. Should just inherit him, pretty much. All of him…

"What's the line doing?"

"Sorry! It's holding!"

"You even look like him."

"How d'you mean?" What is she going on about? "Hm, I suppose I do, yeah."

"You've changed so much."

"For the better."

"I suppose."

What? "Mum, I used to work in a shop!"

"I've worked in shops. What's wrong with that?"

"No, I didn't mean-" God, she is impossible sometimes! Doesn't she get it? Doesn't she understand that the Doctor makes me better, makes me smarter and more curious and wittier and kinder? Doesn't she get just how perfect he is?

"I know what you meant. What 'appens when I'm gone?"

"Don't talk like that."

"No, but really. When I'm dead and buried, you won't have any reason to come back home. What happens then?"

"I don't know." What will I do?

I'll have the Doctor, that's what.

"D'you think you'll ever settle down?"

"The Doctor never will, so I can't." That's right, no John and Marion for us. "I'll just keep on travellin'." God, I must sound like child. So idealistic and hopeful. But it's true. We've got forever waiting for us.

"And you'll keep on changing. And in forty years time, fifty, there'll be this woman, this strange woman, walkin' through the market place on some planet a billion miles from Earth. She's not Rose Tyler, not any more. She's not even Human."

I never knew she felt like that. When did she start hating me travelling so much?

Oh god, what if we do have a child? It won't just be a change in nature that makes him alien; he'll be alien. Half and half. How is she going to take that news?

"Here we go!"

Oh right. Ghosts. Scanners. Red line, blue line. 15B, eight seconds. "Scanner's workin'! It says delta one six."

/-

"What's down there? She was in that room with the sphere. What's happen to Rose?"

"I don't know!" You think I don't know that?! I'm the one who left her alone. I'm the one who encouraged her to snoop around. I'm the one who got her stuck in that room.

Oh don't cry. I can't handle you when you cry. I don't know what to do with you when you're crying. I can't yell at you.

"I'll find her." I will. She'll be okay. She has to be. "I brought you here, I'll get you both out- you and your daughter. Jackie, look at me." Believe me, Jackie. "Look at me." So much fear. So much trust. "I promise you. I give you my word."

How the hell am I going to fix this?

Cybermen, Cybermen. Think, think, think…

Cybermen. First question, where did they come from? The Void? Possible…

Okay, check. Cybermen, came from the void. From that other reality? Possibly…

The void ship? They must have something to do with it? But what? They don't have that kind of technology or knowledge. They couldn't have built it.

Then who?

Rose! Rose, is down there with it. Something's happens down there, but what?

What is it? What's in there?

Hiding, exploring? Exploring means potentially peaceful, potentially helpful and the Cybermen just came along for the ride. Hiding…

Escaping…

What would need to hide? Hide from what?

Look at what they're doing… destroying… How am I going to fix this? How am I going stop them?

What's in that void ship?

Rose, be careful.

What's down there? What is it? Come on, come on… What are you? What-

No.

No! It can't be! I killed them. Rose killed them. They're gone. They can't be…

No…

This isn't fair! Not with Rose.

"Rose said about the Daleks. She was terrified of them. What have they done to her, Doctor? Is she dead?"

Is she dead? No, not my Rose. She can't be.

Oh Rassilon, she can't be dead!

"Phone."

"What?"

"Phone." Pick up. Oh, please pick up. Come on Rose. "She's answered. She's alive." She's alive.

Why is she alive?

"Why haven't they killed her?"

"Well don't complain."

"Must need her for something." But for what? What can Rose know that they need? What could she have? Not a child- no, they couldn't possibly know that. Couldn't possibly think that.

Oh god, be okay Rose. I can't lose you. I can't lose you both. They can't take everything. Rassilon, let them take everything else, just not my one last chance. My one last hope for peace. Please…

/-/-

One more chapter for this one...


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: _So, funny story. So I uploaded the document for Chapter Two and finished writing an author's note and all that good stuff... and then never posted it. Yeah... Not really that funny, sorry! I totally thought I had posted it.

Anyway, here it is. Enjoy!

/-/-

**She Could Be…**

Here it comes. The outrageous explanation, the perfect wrap up to the most unimaginable problem. He always was a cheeky git.

"The Daleks lived in the void. They're bristling with it! Cybermen, all of them! I just open the void and reverse. The void stuff gets sucked back inside!"

"Pulling them all in!"

"Pulling them all in!"

Brilliant! He is pretty impressive when he gets this excited. Can't wait to see him channeling all this energy into a child. He'll be-

But wait. It's on me too. It's on him.

"But it's like you said. We've all got void stuff. Me too because we went to that parallel world. We're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in." We'll be sucked into the void just like the Daleks and Cybermen. It's not safe. I can't lose him, or this possible child that might not even exist.

He's so close; his eyes are so heavy and sad… and pained. "That's why you've got to go. Back to Pete's world- hey! We should call it that! Pete's world." Typical. Reverting to humour to avoid what he doesn't want to talk about.

"I'm opening the void but only on this side," this side, right. "You'll be safe on that side."

This side, that side. I don't care as long as you're there with me.

"The breach itself is soaked in void stuff. In the end, it'll close itself. That's it. Kaput."

Closed? I'll be trapped. Stuck over there. "But you'd stay on this side?"

Please don't make me go. Don't make me do this. I can't leave you. I can't lose you.

He's going to. Sod my decision, is that it? Send her to safety because she obviously can't take care of herself! Always how he deals with the situation! He can stay and play the hero and risk his life, but not Rose. Rose needs to go home, be sent away to be protected.

Like hell.

"I'm supposed to go?"

"Yeah."

"To another world and then it gets sealed off?"

"Yeah."

Don't avoid me. Please! Just stop it! I can't deal with this with you running away.

"Forever?"

Forever? No, not our forever. That's meant for him, not some bloody parallel universe.

"That's not going to happen."

"We haven't got time to argue. The plan works, we're going. You two, all of us."

Who are you to say that? "No, I'm not leaving 'im."

"I'm not going without her."

Are you an idiot? You've got to go with him. You've got to, mum.

"Mum, I've had a life with you for nineteen years, but then I met the Doctor-" what a wonderful day that was!- "and all the things I've seen him do for me- for you- for all of us- for the whole stupid planet and every planet out there. He does it alone, mum. But not anymore, because now he's got me."

That's right. We've got each other. We've got our fantastic life together. We've got forever to explore and learn and raise this child we might or might not be having. So there's no way on Earth that I'm going to leave-

What the hell?!

He didn't. That bastard!

"Oh no you don't. You're not doing that to me again!"

/-/-

"I think this is the on switch."

Rose? What is she doing here? I sent her there to protect her! To protect her and the baby. Rassilon, she's so stubborn!

"Once the breach collapses, that's it. You will never be able to see her again- your own mother!" Don't you understand, Rose, it's too dangerous. You can't stay. You shouldn't stay. At least if I sent you there, it was my choice, not fate ripping you away. That, I can't deal with.

"I made my choice a long time ago and I'm never going to leave you." You can't mean that… You're so young, Rose, so much promise. So much left to do. Can you really want that? Want forever?

"So what can I do to help?"

Damn it, Rose. Couldn't stay where you're safe, could you?

"_Systems rebooted. Open access." _

"We've got Cybermen on the way up."

Great. Just great. On top of the danger of being sucked into the void, now I might get Rose deleted because she couldn't stay where it was safe.

"How many floors down?"

"Just one."

Crap. Hurry! Hurry… Almost there. Come on!

"_Levers operational."_

Beautiful. This might actually work out. This could work. Maybe we won't be deleted or exterminated or sucked into the void.

Levers operational. Coordinates set. Something to hold on to- locked and ready. Okay… okay, now what?

"When it starts, hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us, but the Daleks and Cybermen are steeped in void stuff." Almost there- just the hard part left. "You ready?" Here goes nothing.

"So are they."

Now or never.

"Let's do it!"

"_On-line."_

Whoa! That's still pretty strong. A lot stronger than I thought it was going to be. But she's hanging on. She's got it. This is actually working. Working well! Hah!

Rassilon, this is working! We've done it! We've destroyed the Daleks once again! We-

"_Off-line."_

No! No, no, no…

"Hold on!"

Rose! Hold on! Please hold on! Rassilon, why couldn't it be my lever?

Come on, Rose! Almost got it! Come on, you can do it!

"_On-line and locked." _

Yes!

"Rose! Hold on!" For Rassilon's sake, hold on! "Hold on!"

If only I could reach her! Please!

"Rose!"

I can't save her. I can't… She's going into the void. Hell, forever. I did this to her. It's my fault. Rose…

Pete? Oh thank god. He's got her. She's safe. She's… stuck. She's gone.

"_Systems closed." _

Gone. Forever. The breach is closed. My people are gone. There's nothing I can do. Nothing.

What can possibly be left now? Just me and the TARDIS. All that life- all her vivaciousness, all her energy- just gone now.

Maybe I can feel her. Maybe… maybe she's right there.

I can almost feel her. As long as I don't breathe, she's here. As long as I stare at this empty place, I won't notice that I'm not seeing her. As long as I press my hand against this cold wall, numbing it, I'll never notice that she's not holding it. Maybe if I stand here long enough, the wall will just absorb me, take me away just like it did Rose.

But I can't. Things to do, planets to save, life to live. She'll be fine. She's got her family. She'll survive.

What about the baby?

No- no, she's not pregnant. That was just my mind running wild. She's not- No.

She'll be fine. She will be. She'll live a fantastic life.

I guess I will too. I'll have to…

Now what?

/-

He's got to be here. Somewhere. Where-?

Is he real?

"Where are you?"

"Inside the TARDIS. There's one tiny little gap in the universe, just about to close." It's closing? Well hurry up. We must not have a lot of time then.

"It takes a lot of power to send this projection. I'm in orbit around a supernova. I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye."

Goodbye? What does he mean, goodbye? Isn't he coming?

"You look like a ghost."

"Hold on."

He's real. He looks real now. He's got to be.

"Can I tou-?"

"I'm still just an image. No touch."

No touch… But that's what I need. I need to hold his hand, to hug him, to kiss him. Something. Fate is so cruel sometimes.

"Can't you come through properly?"

"The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse."

Who cares? I want you here. "So?"

"Where are we? Where did the gap come out?"

"We're in Norway."

"Norway, right." Oh, how I miss that tone. That voice.

"About fifty miles out of Bergen. It's called Dårlig Ulv Stranden."

"Dalek?"

"Dårlig. It's Norwegian for bad. This translates to Bad Wolf Bay." What pathetic irony. "How long have you got?"

"About two minutes."

Two minutes? That's it? "I can't think of what to say." I've waited for this moments for months. I've imagined every conversation, every possible way this could go, and now I have nothing. What can I possibly say to the man I… to the greatest thing that ever happened to my life? To the greatest man the universe has ever known?

"You've still got Mr. Mickey then?"

Yeah. Mickey's been great. "There's five of us now." Oh god I'm saying it. "Mum, Dad, Mickey…" Just get it out. "And the baby."

There. There it is. I've told him. He knows now. Knows that he's not the only one. Knows that he's got a bit of him here, with me. Knows that I'm not alone.

"You're not-"

Oh god, I can't do this. I can't leave him with that kind of pain, knowing that he's not just leaving me here. He's leaving his unborn child here. His child that he'll never get to meet. Never get to know.

"No." I'm lying to him. It's my last chance to talk to him, to tell him, and I'm lying to him. "It's mum. She's three months gone. More Tyler's on the way."

"And what about you? What are you-?"

"Yeah, I'm back to workin' in the shop."

He looks so disappointed. I can't believe the arse believed me. "Oh, good for you."

"Shut up. No, I'm not. The Torchwood on this planet is open for business, I think I know a thing or two about aliens."

"Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth." Not without you…

"You're dead," What? "Officially, back at home. So many people died that day and you've gone missing. You're on the list of the dead." Right, of course. Tying up loose ends. "But here you are, living your life day after day. The one adventure I can never have."

I don't want it. I want you and my adventures with you. "Am I ever going to see you again?"

"You can't."

"Then what are you gonna do?"

"I've got a TARDIS. Same old life. Last of the Time Lords." You idiot, why couldn't you tell him? Why couldn't you tell him that he's not the last? There's another on the way. God, what am I going to do without him? Raising the next generation of Time Lords all on my own?

"On your own?" He needs someone. He'll find someone else, find a friend to keep him going. He will. He has to.

"I-" Oh god, I can't do it…

"I love you."

"Quite right too." Here it comes. He's going to say it. He doesn't have to; I know how he feels. "And I suppose, if it's my last chance to say it, Rose Tyler-"

That's it? That's how Time and Fate and whatever else is out there is going to leave it? That's our forever- our two last minutes…

I can't do this! I can't do this without him.

Oh god, I need him.

/-/-

Keep a look out for the next story: 'The Storm'.


End file.
